AZIZ ANSARI LEAVES DENVER AUDIENCE LAUGHING | Page 7 University of Denver student newspaper since 1899
Vol. 122, Issue 3
Jan. 28, 2015
www.duclarion.com
Asbury Green under new management John Poe Staff Writer On Jan. 5, Inland American Communities (IAC) purchased the LEED Gold Certified student apartment complex known as Asbury Green. Asbury Green will be rebranded as University House. While IAC Media Contact Sharon Goldmacher said University House is currently pre-leasing for fall 2015 and will offer low rates, she also said IAC is not entirely sure how the change in ownership will impact rental rates in the upcoming school year. “University House will evaluate [current] rates based on the supply and demand in the student housing market,” said Goldmacher. IAC is a company that strives to create authentic communities in university markets throughout the U.S., according to Goldmacher. “Inland American Communities is a development, acquisition and management company dedicated to creating authentic communities in university markets in the U.S.” she said. IAC plans to make multiple upgrades to the property as well as implement its own Maverick Program, which integrates students into the workplace to create events for the community. “University House communities are managed to the highest standards with an emphasis on customer service in order to provide the ultimate student living experience,” said Goldmacher. “Our industry-recognized Maverick program consists of student workers that are constantly creating community-wide events.” Before making the purchase, IAC debated buying either Asbury Green or Vista Lofts, but was especially in-
News
terested in Asbury Green, according to Goldmacher. “We determined the stronger opportunity was Asbury Green based on its age, design, amenities, closer proximity to the University as well as strong retail neighborhood options,” she said. “Asbury Green also was well-managed and had a good reputation among its current residents.” IAC was also interested in Asbury Green because of its proximity to campus. “With a growing number of students attending the University of Denver, we saw the purchase of Asbury Green as a strategic acquisition in our growing portfolio,” said IAC President Travis Roberts. “The proximity to campus also suits our philosophy of developing and acquiring properties that are within walking distance to a university campus.” Goldmacher believes that new management of University House will help it continue operating at a high level. “We believe University House student housing communities are a step above other student housing options, as evidenced by the high levels of renewals, resident referrals, and the feedback received in our annual resident surveys,” she said. According to Goldmacher, IAC currently owns properties in 13 states and over 20 communities, and is continuing to expand. “We are continuously looking for development or acquisition opportunities that will create premier student housing communities that are near universities and offer the latest amenities for today and tomorrow’s students,” she said. Students who are interested in pre-leasing for fall 2015 or that have any questions are encouraged to visit the University House website.
Lifestyles
DIVERSITY SUMMIT THE SING-OFF RECALLS SELMA CONCERT The 14th annual Diversity Summit focused on racial strife today and in the past. Pg. 2
On Friday, Jan. 30, two DU a cappella groups will be holding a joint concert. Pg. 5
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITYHOUSE.COM “Asbury Green” will be rebranded “University House” under its new ownership.
Immigrants speak out at AAC Caitlin Antrim Contributing Writer
On Jan. 21, members of the University of Denver faculty, student body and outside community members held a program in Anderson Academic Commons entitled “Rewriting Immigration Narratives: A Community Conversation & Call to Action.” The focus of the discussions came from a variety of topics related to the theme of immigration difficulties and the hardships of living undocumented in the United States, and ranged from family detention camps to stories of deportation to legal counsel information regarding illegal immigrants. The moderators and speakers for the event included César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, Sean Ays, Jennifer Casey, Katie Dingeman-Cerda, Jeanette Vizguerra, Erica Chenoweth, Lisa Graybill, Cynthia Rodriguez, Margie Thompson and Tania Valenzuela, along with a variety of other experts in the field.
What’s inside: Entertainment
TUNES TO SHOO THE WINTER BLUES
This week’s Pio Playlist provides songs for the worst winter-induced slump. Pg. 8
Hernández began the program with a brief summary of what was going to be discussed. She said that between 2007 and 2013, the number of families put into detention centers rose dramatically, and that three new family detention centers have opened under the Obama administration. These family detention centers are a point of contention, according to the speakers’ knowledge of the immigrant community, as they have prison-like conditions and are a source of stress on the families. Ays told the story of a young Honduran 11-year-old named Daniela who lost 15 pounds over the course of two months in one of the centers as a result of the physical and mental toll the center had taken on her. The speakers focused primarily on immigrants coming from the countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Some of the speakers themselves—such as Ays, Vizguerra, Rodriguez and Valenzuela—are, or have previously been, undocu-
mented immigrants. Ays’s family, for example, came to the United States as a result of the civil war in El Salvador. They traveled the 6,000 miles and entered undocumented at the Rio Grande, where they then were loaded into a shipping container lined with ice, as the previous group of immigrants had suffered from heat stroke while traveling in the shipping container. Similarly, Vizguerra is a leader in the immigration activism movement, and has lived in the United States for over 17 years. However, for the past five years, she has been combating her own deportation and subsequent abandonment of her three young, American-born daughters. Finally, Rodriguez came to the United States from Mexico with her family when she was a year old. In 2010 her father was deported, and then, soon after, her mother decided to leave with her other children to return to Mexico. Rodriguez stayed behind to further
Opinions
Sports
Is possessing a fake ID worth the potential consequences? Pg. 10
DU students flocked to Aspen last weekend for the annual X Games. Pg. 12
FAKE IDS ON THE DU CAMPUS
SEE IMMIGRANT, PAGE 2
WINTER X GAMES